Anybody tried the Orange long life antifreeze?

[SHOtimer]

I'm thinking about switching to the orange long life antifreeze. Has anybody tried using this, is it compatable with the SHO motor (aluminum heads & iron block)? I understand I would need to completely flush out all the old so that it doesn't mix. Any thoughts or experiences?

Thanx, Doug

 

[Shoaz]

I'm thinking about switching to the orange long life antifreeze. Has anybody tried using this, is it compatable with the SHO motor (aluminum heads & iron block)? I understand I would need to completely flush out all the old so that it doesn't mix. Any thoughts or experiences?

Some of the orange GM stuff was in the Pumpkin when I bought it. Since Bondurant changed to GM sponsorship I suppose they get their coolant from them now.

When we pulled the motor there was a thick, green sludge in the low spots of the hoses and plumbing. Ick. I've been running straight water in it for now just to try to get that crap out before I put something more suitable in there.

It may be that they just didn't get all of the old coolant out, but maybe that's hard to do.

 

[Denny]

I switched over to Dexcool in my first bull, a 92 GL. It ran fine for the last year I had it. Now the rebuilt $2000 trans, well that was the primary issue

You shouldn't have any issues. Alot of Ford vehicles now use the stuff. Just make sure you flush out the old stuff. The only problems that you may have down the line would be from old hoses, corroded/clogged radiator or a leaking pump...basically something that will happen with age

 

[SHOtimer]

Well, the motor and all the hoses that the coolant will be in are on a stand and empty, so I'm not too worried about the two types mixing. Is their any advantages by using the orange stuff other than the fact that it has a longer flush intervals?

Doug

 

[Denny]

Well, the motor and all the hoses that the coolant will be in are on a stand and empty, so I'm not too worried about the two types mixing. Is their any advantages by using the orange stuff other than the fact that it has a longer flush intervals?

Doug

IIRC it's safer for pets if you do happen to leak and they lick the stuff off the ground.

 

[Rockledge]

You should be replacing your coolant every two years minimum anyway, so I don't see any value whatsoever in using a longer life antifreeze in the SHO. On the other hand, I've heard of "thick, green sludge" developing in cooling systems with this stuff in them, clogging them up over time.

A Taurus, more than most any other car on the road, needs fresh coolant every couple of years. They are prone to coolant-related issues, such as those caused by electrolysis. For this reason, the coolant should be mixed with de-mineralized water.

 

[HopefulSHO]

FWIW The newer Prestone (and a few other 5year/150k mile coolants, like SuperTech) are the same as Dex-Cool, just colored different. Will work fine in your SHO; just do a good flush. I still change mine every 2 years as well - I just don't like leaving stuff in the system that long. Especially on a car with a bi-metal engine.

 

[sdpatt]

I have been using the orange Dex-Cool mix with distilled water for about as long as it has been available. It has been freshened a couple of times due to front end 60K services with water pump and lower radiator hose replacements and a radiator replacement.

The internals of the cooling system have been immaculate. The benefit from the Dex-Cool is the absence of abrasive silicates that can accelerate wear of the water pump seals. The water pumps I have had to replace were not leaking at the seals, but worn at the bearings after 80,000 to 100,000 mile stretches of service.

 

[JTSHO]

i am so against dex-cool...do as you wish but when bought my f-150 w/ low miles on it they had changed it to that stuff. i flushed it once after 2 years. the next year which made my truck about 5 years old my heater core and radiator both are leaking. from several mechanics (one of which is my friend) said what dex-cool does is eats corrosion. well when you have corrosion and it eats at it..well theres your answer leaks everywhere. but only the thin metals though b/c the truck still has all the original hoses on it.

 

[SHO Continental]

when I changed the radiator in my '93 last august I went over to dex-cool.. only because it was the only thing on the shelves

 

[DHMag]

ive heard mixed reviews in the parts house area. my personal experience didnt make me stick with Dex-Cool.

 

[SHOtimer]

ive heard mixed reviews in the parts house area. my personal experience didnt make me stick with Dex-Cool.

What kind of mixed reviews would that be?

Doug

 

[BenBrausen]

I know Dex Cool has a class action suit filed against them for some reason (saw it listed in the class action news). Can't recall what it was for but it was causing some type of damage.

 

[JTSHO]

http://www.dexcoolcase.com/ that will tell you what you need to know about dex-cool.

 

[rangerj]

Whatever coolant you use mix it with DISTILLED PH NEUTRAL water. Mineral deposits in most tap or well water will build up on the inside of the cooling system and cause blockage and/or flow problems.

Secondly, the cooland develops an electrical charge over time and the charge will deteriorate the inside of the hoses and other rubber parts. So, refreshing the coolant every couple of years is also a good idea.

 

[JEM]

Dexcool is known to be highly unfriendly to some plastics and some gasket materials, and of course it's incompatible with other coolants. With the large number of pricey and difficult-to-reach gaskets in our engines it seems foolish to risk it.

Zerex G-05 (BASF Glysantin G-05) is now widely available and reasonably priced, it's been Mercedes factory fill for years, now OE in all DC and Ford products, and has none of the issues that Dexcool does.

 

[voogru]

try ROTTELLA ELC COOLANT last 6 years or 600.000 miles been using it 4 years now in my sho and ford f-250 diesel truck, I dont want to sue anybody either.